This photo makes me smile because it’s a symbol of something easy in a life where so many of the daily processes are difficult.
For example, making a change to our internet/cable plan. First of all, there is the incomprehensible fact that in order to get the best price for internet you have to purchase a bundle that includes TV and phone. I’m not talking about a plan that gives a discount on each item for bundling, but it’s literally cheaper. Internet alone might be $150, but faster internet with phone and cable package is $130. I can’t even. It’s just the way things are here.
Josh figured out that we could get a faster connection for less money than we are currently paying, so he went through the process of updating our account. Except they can’t just change our package, we have to start a new plan, with a new account number, get that one installed and then cancel the old plan. And it has to be done at the end of the month because they don’t pro-rate days so if you cancel mid month, you lose the rest of the month that you’ve already paid for.
Sigh. So we jumped through the many hoops to get the new service set up at the right time and then when the installer finally came at 9pm (of course), he said they had put in the wrong order and he had the wrong equipment and I’d have to go into the store to place another order. Which of course would not work for us since we were at the end of the month and needed this set up so we could cancel our old plan before we were charged for another month.
After many phone calls back and forth between me, the installer, his supervisor, and Josh on speakerphone from Saudi they “did something” and was able to set it up and get it working that night. Of course. Usually you get the automatic “No” because it’s easier and makes it someone else’s problem, but pushing back works about 50% of the time.
Smooth sailing now, right? Nope, 2 weeks later they shut off our service without warning and it took 2 days of phone calls and visits to the office to get it started again. Why? I have no idea. Ridiculousness is normal here. I’ve been in a devilish dance with Etisalat since way back in December 2010 when we first landed in Egypt, so this is not new, but it gets really old.
And in classic form, they couldn’t just restart our TV and internet — no, they had to submit another order with a third account number and it took a manager working two phones to get someone to come set it up the next day instead of the first available appointment that was 3 days away. And of course, the installer brought another set of new equipment. Whatever buddy, let’s just get this working. Now I’ve got phones, routers, and DVR boxes to spare. I’m almost ready to open an electronics resale shop on Dubizzle (Dubai’s version of Craigslist).
At the same time as our internet drama we were trying to get my bank account set up and my checks cashed from working at school. Every time I went to the bank there was an issue: computer is down, something is wrong with your school account, only one person working and 15 people waiting … the goal was to get my name on a local account so I wouldn’t have to wait with the masses each month to try and get cash.
But getting a joint account here is not all that easy. Some say it’s impossible, but I think that probably changes by the day. One day possible, the next day not possible. That’s normal for here. There’s a lot of weirdness related to gender roles and how much ownership of the account I actually have as a housewife and a dependent. Hopefully I won’t ever need to find out if this joint thing is real or a myth. Long tedious story short, we did it, but after it was all supposed to be completed I got a phone call saying that I had to come back in again because they had forgotten to have me sign another form. Ah yes. Nothing ever works the way it’s supposed to the first time.
As a final bit of icing on my crazy cake, every time I use my card Josh gets a text with the amount spent, the store name, and the remaining account balance. That would be great info to have if it went both ways, but no, he’s the only one to get notified of purchases. Oh well. It’s just the way it is here.
Coming full circle, when I walked into church this morning with my coffee in hand, sat down, and saw that there was a cup holder that perfectly fit my mug, I smiled because it was so unexpectedly easy. To finally have something that was seamless and without hassle was exactly what I needed. God bless and Amen.